


Fangs

by Corvid_Knight



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, bro is an asshole but less so than in everything else i write, cal as a character (he's a DEMON), dave and rose are, in a stunning twist kanaya is not a vampire, like the plan is for him to get some kind of redemption, vampire/humanstuck au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-25 23:08:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14987573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvid_Knight/pseuds/Corvid_Knight
Summary: Dave finds out he's a vampire and has to figure out how to handle it. This is made more difficult by the fact that the guy who raised him woulddefinitelybe a hunter if he could figure out how to get around the illegality of murder.





	1. Chapter 1

You're in the bathroom at Starbucks when it happens, which is pretty damn close to the worst possible place. Standing at the sink, rinsing that stupid too-thick soap off your hands and wondering if Karkat's already eaten your cupcake, and you feel a sharp sting on your bottom lip.

No, _two_ sharp stings. And they're not really even painful; the last thing you expect to see when you glance up at the mirror is twin trickles of blood oozing down your chin, from the double punctures the brand-new fangs that've just extended from your canine teeth made. 

Fangs. _Fangs_. 

You see your reflection raise one hand to touch them, and "Shit goddamn fucking _shit_ " spills out of your mouth as your fingers brush against the enamel. Fangs. No. 

This can't be happening. This shit, this can't be fucking happening. If you were going to manifest as a vamp, it would have happened _years_ ago, back when Rose manifested (and your mom and Bro promptly split up, leaving you with him and Rose with her; that wasn't even a gender thing, just a nod to the fact that he literally fucking said he'd kill her for being what she was). If you were a vampire, you would have shown it at five, like your twin, not eleven fucking years later! 

Biting the side of your hand when your stressed has always been one of your bad habits. Unthinkingly, you do it now, and hiss in pain as your fangs sink in. 

Shit, now you're bleeding in two places, lip and hand. The pain's already fading, though—vampires carry venom, to lessen the discomfort for those they feed on. Rose told you that. 

Rose. You need to call her. Tell her what happened, ask her what to do ( _beg her for a way out_ ) except your phone's out on the table next to Karkat, and there's no fucking way you're walking out until you get the goddamn fangs to retract. 

Which. 

They're not doing. You grip the counter hard enough that your right hand, the one that you didn't bite, sends a warning twinge of pain up your arm. It's not enough to ground you, not really—panic's bubbling up into your brain, no matter how you try to deny it. 

(The reasonably calm part of your mind points out that as long as you're agitated, the fangs are going to stay out. That's kind of how vampires work.) 

"Fucking hell, _please..._ " The last word comes out as _pleafe,_ and you bite down on a sob. Biting is, of course, a bad idea; more blood wells up from your lips as the fangs sink in. At least it doesn't hurt. You don't think it hurts. 

Shit, there's tears welling up in your eyes as well as the blood on your mouth. Blinking to clear them away just means pale pink streaks running down your pale face—not blood, of course you don't cry blood, but the tint is a goddamn _early warning sign_ of a vampire about to manifest! How the fuck did you not notice that? How the fuck did no one notice anything, give you time to figure out what you were going to do? 

Stupid question. You don't cry, not in public. Fuck, but even in the light of day, pretty much. Getting paler doesn't apply as a symptom; you've _always_ been as pale as is humanly possible; it's a fucking _disorder,_ the same thing that gives you and Rose too-white hair and weird eyes, hers violet and yours blood red. Same for sun sensitivity. And you wouldn't fucking know if you've developed a silver allergy; why the _fuck_ would you touch silver? 

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck,_ " you chant softly to yourself, and try to figure out how to close your lips around the fangs. The short answer is that you really can't, and that trying just earns you another couple of cuts in your lip. 

You don't dare look at yourself in the mirror, because you _know_ there's a shitton of blood on your face. Fuck, how are you going to even try to hide this—

The door swings open and you can't stop yourself from cringing. 

"Dave, why the fuck—" Karkat stops abruptly as you look over at him, his grey eyes widening at the sight of your face. " _Oh._ " 

"Yeah, 'oh,'" you say, and grope for the paper towel dispenser. "I—fuck, man, I got—there's—" 

"Hold still and let me see." He steps toward you, hands coming up to rest on the sides of your face, holding you steady. "Dave, you need to calm the fuck down and breathe like a person, not a fucking angry fire engine." 

Oh. Shit. He's right, you _are_ breathing so hard and fast that you're nearly panting. Trying to get that under control takes all your focus, which means you jump when one of Karkat's thumbs brushes against the tip of a fang. 

" _Careful,_ " you tell him. Or try to tell him. It comes out garbled as fuck, what with his finger on your lips. God, if this was anyone but Karkat, the first guy you ever kissed, the guy you trust more than you can ever trust anyone... "Sharp." 

"I know they're fucking sharp, I'm not an idiot. You're not going to hurt me." His tone is absently soothing, an undercurrent of worry tangling up in it. "You cut yourself up, you _idiot._ " 

_That's_ what he's worried about? You jerk your head away from him, hating how you're trembling under his hands. 

"Dave—" 

"I'm a goddamn vampire!" You almost shout it at him, jerking your hand up at your mouth. "I can't be a vampire, I fucking can't, you know what Bro thinks of them, okay, if he could play hunter he _would_ , if it wasn't murder he'd just fucking burn them all, you _know_ that—I'm gonna _die_ , he'll kill me if I go home, Karkat, do you fuckin' get that? I can't—I can't—" 

"Dave, _breathe,_ " Karkat warns, and when you just shake your head and struggle to keep spilling words out, he steps forward and wraps an arm around your shoulder, forcing you to lean on him. 

You need the support. You're dizzy. You can't breathe. You kind of can't _see_ , either, which is fuckin' scary—you know from experience that when you hyperventilate long enough to have your vision go out on you, passing out is only a minute or so away. And is there really anything more pathetic than having a panic attack and fainting in a stupid overpriced coffeeshop bathroom? 

No. No there is not. 

So you do what Karkat says. You breathe, you lean on him, and you try very, very hard to _not_ think about the sharp little points that're resting against your bottom lip. 

You're so fucking screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dave, would you fucking _look_ at me?" Karkat says, fifteen minutes of trying to calm you down and clean you up later. The irritated/worried note in his voice draws your eyes away from your own reflection, back to where you should be looking. At him. 

He huffs in (probably) satisfaction, wiping at your chin again. This time, you manage to not jerk away; he's not going to accidentally cut himself on your fangs. That's only a thing for dumbasses like you. 

"Oop, there they go. That's really fucking cool, actually." He stops to just barely touch your lips, smiling a bit. "Does it hurt?" 

"Right now I can't feel a damn thing," you tell him, feeling at your teeth with your tongue. Thank god—the fangs finally retracted, leaving you almost normal-looking again. Well, other than the little cuts on your lip. 

"Oh, yeah. The anesthetic." 

"Venom." You shrug, leaning against the counter and glancing back over your shoulder at your reflection, half-expecting to not see yourself even though the whole no-reflection thing isn't actually a vampire trait. Stupid melodramatic vampire novels. 

Karkat scowls at your insistence on that term, crossing his arms. " _Anesthetic,_ Dave. It's not just fucking venom; you _know_ it accelerates healing as well as numbing. You don't have to act like it's such a negative fucking thing." 

"It's negative for me, dude." Like, to such a degree that you don't dare really think about the implications for more than a second at a time. "This whole shitshow's the most negative possible thing to happen, and you know it. I'm fucked." 

"You're not fucked. Calm down." 

You almost laugh, but if you start that you're not sure you'll be able to stop. "How am I not fucked? You get that I can't go home, right? The goddamn fangs are gonna come out the minute I get upset, and that's gonna be just as soon as Bro says _anything_ to me, maybe even as soon as I'm in the same room with him 'cause I'm so fuckin' worried about him finding out about this shit, I— _fuck_!" 

Apparently just thinking about showing fang to Bro is worrying enough for your fangs to extend again. This time, you manage to not bite down at least. Don't need to start yourself bleeding again, right when Karkat just finished cleaning you up. 

You turn your head to stare at your reflection again. Yeah, that's really fucking noticeable. You can't hide that. There's no way you can hide that. 

Karkat sighs, reaching over and grabbing your chin to pull you away from the mirror. "Hey. Look at _me._ You're okay, alright?" 

" _Exactly what part of this is okay?!_ " If you keep shouting, you're _so_ going to get kicked out of Starbucks, so you make an effort to lower the volume on the next sentence. "Dude, I don't even know what I'm going to _do_..." 

"As in, I need to be the fucking master of plans for a minute here?" 

"...yes." 

"See, all you had to do was say that." Karkat finally lets go of your chin, taking a deep breath. His face screws up into that unconsciously cute expression he gets when he's trying to sort something out, and this time you actually do feel your fangs retract again.

It probably says something about you that the fact that Karkat's planning how to handle this is enough to calm you that much. 

As soon as Karkat noticed that your fangs have retracted, he grabs your hand, pulling you towards the door. "Come on, if I'm doing the planning here you can buy me another drink." 

"I'm gonna dump it down your shirt if you start whining about it again, dude," you warn as you let him drag you out of the bathroom. 

He just snorts. That's an empty threat, and you both know it.

* * *

The end result of Karkat's planning is the decision that you're going to come to his house, spend at least tonight there. It's really the obvious solution; you already spend more than half the nights that Bro isn't at the apartment sleeping over at the Vantas household anyway. This is almost normal, right? 

Well. Other than the fact that Bro fucking _hates_ it when he's home and you're not. Like, that's not the way shit's supposed to be. 

He's going to text you, maybe even call you if he gets irritated enough. You know that, and so does Karkat; that's probably why he gets you to put your messenger app on mute, for right now, and mute the ringer on your phone. It's easier to not try to have a convo with Bro right now, even one that's not in person. 

You do text Dirk, though. A quick "hey im at karkats because of reasons and ill call you and explain later so dont freak out when bro calls asking where i am" before you turn everything off. _Maybe_ you should text Rose now, instead of when you get to Karkat's place, but yeah, no. Might as well try and make it to where you're going without being in a state of panic, right?

* * *

You kind of really want to not get ambushed by Karkat's brother. 

Of course, that means that Kankri is sitting at the table when Karkat shoves you through the door, and of _course_ your fangs come right out at the sight of him. Kankri's really a pretty nice guy, yeah, but he has no fucking ability to shut up. 

He looks up at you, says, "Oh, hello, Dave," and blinks as he actually registers the new additions to your face. You're actively dreading what's going to come out when he opens his mouth again. 

Karkat lets go of you, steps over to plant himself between you and his brother, and crosses his arms, scowling angrily. "Not one fucking word," he growls. "Whatever you think you're about to say to help him out, you're really fucking far off the mark, so keep your assfucking mouth _shut_!" 

Kankri's mouth falls open in what looks like stunned horror, but (thankfully) nothing comes out for a full minute at least. Long enough for Karkat to grab your arm and propel you towards the stairway, before Kankri recovers and yelps, "Kar _kat_! Dad!" 

"He started it!" Karkat yells in the general direction of the kitchen, not even slowing down. 

"Karkat, don't swear at your brother; Kankri, leave Dave alone." It sounds like Psii's voice, not Karkat's other dad, which is kind of a disappointment. Not that you don't like Psii, but Karrik is just really good at talking shit out in a more-or-less calming way. Like Karkat, except with the inherent legitimacy of like, actually being an adult. "Hey, is Dave staying the night?" 

"Yeah, if you're cool with that!" you yell back. (It took you a good year and a half of hanging out here to get used to how Psii, Karrik, and Dis just shout back and forth to the kids, and how the kids yell back, and how that's just, like, normal.) 

"It's fine; dinner's in an hour and a half, Nep's currently occupying the living room, so just—" 

Karkat pulls you into his room and shuts the door before you can find out what the rest of Psii's instructions are. That's okay, though; you intend to just stay in here until it's necessary for you to come out. 

Specifically, you intend to stay on the floor, sprawled out on Karkat's nice soft red carpet. By the time he turns around to focus on you, you're down and playing dead, eyes squeezed shut and tongue melodramatically poking out just because it'll make him snort with laughter. 

And it does. 

"You fucking dork," he murmurs, snagging his laptop off the desk and sitting down next to you, one hand coming down to rest on your forehead. "I'm going to message Rose, see if she's up for a videochat, alright?" 

"Mhm. She's an hour ahead, though; she's probably having dinner." 

"Since when has your sister ever done anything at the properly scheduled time, Dave?" 

"Okay, good point, but consider that every time we assume she's being weird, she gets normal. Like, it's her goddamn superpower—inconveniencing everyone by any means possible. She could totally market that..." 

You're rambling, letting yourself not think by running your mouth. You know it. Karkat knows it. It's very fucking obvious. 

But instead of calling you out on it, Karkat just goes _mmhm_ every few moments, a noise of understanding and acknowledgment. He keeps petting at your hair with his free hand too, even though you know it'd be a lot easier to type if he didn't. 

He knows what you need, though. 

So you keep talking, and he keeps working on getting in touch with your twin, and you don't have a problem ignoring how your phone keeps buzzing with text messages. You can take care of that _after_ you resolve the current crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karkat's household includes the Disciple (Dis; the kids don't know her real name or why she's called that but she's a tiger shapeshifter), Psii (doesn't have any powers at this point, but has scars from when he _did_ ), and Karrik (it's Signless). So two dads and a mom. Mituna's telekinetic, Sollux is a technomancer/hacker (the skillsets overlap), Meulin's animal-telepathic, Nepeta's a feline shifter who can only change during certain phases of the moon because she's so young, and Kankri and Karkat are (apparently) normal human.


	3. Chapter 3

tartareanTycoon [TT] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]!

TT: where the hell are you? weren't you planning on being home like an hour back?  
TT: like, seriously, lil man. you could at least text and say you were gonna be late.

turntechGodhead is offline.

TT: fuck. don't tell me you broke your phone or some damn thing.  
TT: what did you do, turn the damn thing off?

turntechGodhead is offline.

TT: dave, seriously. turn your fuckin phone on and check your messages.

turntechGodhead is offline.

TT: goddamnit.

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

* * *

tartareanTycoon [TT] started pestering ectoBiologist [EB]!

TT: was it today dave had study group with you?

EB: uh, no? that's Tuesdays! unless they moved it and didn't tell me...

TT: fuck. so he's not with you.

EB: nope!   
EB: did you try karkat?

TT: huh. guess that would make sense. thanks, kiddo.

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

* * *

tartareanTycoon [TT] started pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]!

TT: yo, don't suppose you got my kid by any chance?  
TT: or like, know where he is.

carcinoGeneticist  blocked tartareanTycoon!

TT: uh.  
TT: what the shit?

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

* * *

tartareanTycoon [TT] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]!

TT: okay what the fuck's going on.  
TT: why the fuck does john not know where you are. why'd your boyfriend block me.

turntechGodhead is offline.

TT: i swear to fuck, dave, i'll call cal out to track you down if i need to.

turntechGodhead is offline.

TT: fucking christ.

turntechGodhead is offline.

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

* * *

timaeusTestified [TT] started pestering tartareanTycoon [TT]!

TT: You need to stop.

TT: what.

TT: Dave's fine. Leave him be.

TT: kiddo, i don't know what info you're operating on, but he's not answering his goddamn phone and i can't get ahold of anyone who knows where he is.

TT: He's at Karkat's place. He's going to spend the night.  
TT: Also, if you decide you just have to go check up on him, I'm frying all your electronics and crashing your websites. 

TT: uhhhh tell me about the auto-responder

TT: Nope, it really is me. Although you do have a point; technically I'll probably have Hal fuck your shit up. He's capable of making it more permanent that I can.

TT: huh.   
TT: okay, back to "what the fuck?"  
TT: what the hell's wrong with you, kid?

TT: Wrong question.

TT: you're really going to do this, aren't you. really gonna make this shit some kinda game.  
TT: the fuck's wrong with you? you really don't care about your lil bro?

TT: Don't be stupid. And quit trying to bait me into doing what you want; _I'm_ not stupid either, come on.  
TT: Dave texted me and told me he was fine.

TT: so? you don't know that's true. he didn't text /me/; don't you think that's kinda fucking suspicious?

TT: Given the information I have, it doesn't seem suspicious at all. Makes perfect sense to me.

TT: the information you have.  
TT: ...  
TT: dirk, you are the most aggravating person i've ever tried to deal with, jesus christ.

AI: Oh?

TT: hey, you're half dirk anyway.

AI: I resent that. I'm no more than thirty percent Dirk at this point, and although the mix varies depending on the situation, I doubt that my Dirk quotient is ever going to rise above thirty percent again.

TT: Hal, this was a private conversation.

AI: Ha. _Was._

TT: Bro, what happened to your anti-demon protection? Don't tell me you finally released Cal.

TT: c'mon, kiddo, you know he wouldn't leave if i tried to banish him. wouldn't do that to him.

AI: He likes me. Demonspawn or not, I count as one of his kids too.

TT: yeah, exactly. can't say it's the /best/ thing, but hey, at least you're not usually pure hellspawn, right?   
TT: i say "usually" because i'm starting to suspect that the two of you are stalling me.

AI: Maybe so.

TT: Hal! 

AI: Our progenitor isn't exactly a moron, Dirk. You're dangerously close to getting him impatient enough for him to leave and go back to his previous plan, which I've just been informed involves Cal.

TT: yo, quit reading my goddamn texts!

AI: Actually, I wasn't. Cal almost always shadows your network; they don't mind having a conversation with me.   
AI: After all, I'm thirty percent their master's son's creation, _and_ fifty percent demon of the same type they are.  
AI: Well, roughly fifty percent.  
AI: And roughly the same type.

TT: fucking christ stop stalling and tell me what the fuck's going on with dave!

TT: Okay, no. Fuck no. 

AI: We're going to need a few conditions here.

TT: Hal, not helping. At all.

AI: Dirk, are you _really_ going to make me explain my logic in a private chat? Really?  
AI: Need I remind you that _you_ were the one who pretty much started this conversation by telling him exactly where Dave is?

TT: Fuck you.

CAL: STOP FIGHTING!!!! >:(

TT: y'know, normally i'd defend y'alls right to snipe at each other, but right now i'm with cal. especially since i think you're still stalling.  
TT: actually, i'm an idiot. cal, you been watching dave, yeah?

CAL: HEE HEE!  
CAL: OF COURSE! ALWAYS!

TT: Which is why he fucking hates you.

CAL: D: 

TT: be nice to my goddamn demon, dirk.  
TT: cal, what the fuck's going on?

AI: Cal, I will bind myself to your service for the span of two full moons if you either refuse to answer or prevent Ambrose from acting upon the information he requests.

TT: Fuck, Hal.

CAL: WELL, YOU KNOW I CAN'T REFUSE INFORMATION, HALLY!   
CAL: BUT A LITTLE CONTROL EXERCISED OVER BRO ISN'T A PROBLEM AT ALL! :) 

TT: hey!

CAL: HEE HEE!  
CAL: DON'T WORRY, YOU KNOW I CAN'T HURT YOU! JUST KEEP YOU FROM DOING WHAT YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE DOING ANYWAY.  
CAL: DAVEY DEAREST'S COPING WITH A NEW TASTE OF HIS TALENTS, THAT'S ALL! THE SORT OF TALENTS THAT GIVE YOU A TASTE OF SOMETHING ELSE, ACTUALLY. SOMETHING LOVELY AND RED; WHICH REMINDS ME, YOU OWE _ME_ SOME.   
CAL: IT'S BEEN LIKE 5EVER SINCE I ACTUALLY GOT BLOOD... :( 

TT: ...  
TT: what.

TT: Don't look at me. I wasn't planning on telling you at all, even if the fucking demons seem to have other plans.

CAL: :D 

AI: _I_ am not a "fucking" anything, and I'm only partially demon. 

TT: what the fuck are you saying happened to dave? drop the fucking riddles, cal!

CAL: YOU'RE NO FUN. :|  
CAL: IT'S BARELY EVEN A RIDDLE, ANYWAY, ONCE YOU ADD IN WHAT YOU KNOW. AFTER ALL, HIS TWIN ALREADY FOUND THIS PART OF HERSELF, AND THE TALENTS RUN WITH THE BLOOD.  
CAL: ESPECIALLY THIS ONE!   
CAL: I'D BE MORE SURPRISED IF DAVE HADN'T MANIFESTED AS A VAMPIRE, REALLY! 

TT: fucking shit fuck 

TT: Fuck. Bro, you leave him alone. Do you hear me?

AI: Since this is a text based conversation, no. No he does not.

TT: unlock the fucking door, Cal! 

CAL: SOOOORRY! NOPE! 

TT: Dave doesn't want you to know, period. Do you understand that?   
TT: He's terrified, and I can't really fault him for that.

TT: terrified?  
TT: what? what the fuck?  
TT: he's my fucking kid! he knows i love him! 

AI: He knows you _did_ love him. After all, Rose was your kid too.

TT: that was ten fucking years ago! most of his life!   
TT: you don't even know what happened! i wasn't fucking thinking straight, and i told her that, i apologized to reaux over and over again! to both of them!   
TT: he's still gonna hold that shit against me! now?

CAL: I WAS THERE, EVEN IF DIRKY AND HAL WEREN'T! :D   
CAL: IF I'D BEEN A FIVE-YEAR-OLD HUMAN, I THINK I WOULD'VE BEEN TERRIFIED. YOU _DID_ THREATEN TO CHAIN ROSIE WITH SILVER AND BLEED HER OUT, AFTER ALL!

TT: so i said some bad shit—if you remember that much, you better fucking remember that rose showed her fangs for the first time /two fucking hours/ after the cops called to tell my my best fucking friend got killed by a vamp.   
TT: i wasn't thinking straight. i was /drunk./  
TT: wasn't reaux fuckin' divorcing me over this shit enough?

AI: Based on my admittedly retroactive knowledge, your outburst was only one factor in your separation.

tartareanTycoon blocked artificialIntellect!

CAL: :| THAT'S NOT VERY NICE, BRO! 

TT: Yeah, but Hal should've kept his mouth shut there. Not that he was wrong.

TT: i'll block your ass too, brat.

TT: Will you?   
TT: Dave was five. 

TT: make your fucking point. 

TT: You know I came home from school, and you weren't there, and Mom and Rose weren't there, and it took me half an hour to find Dave, because he was curled up in the back of your closet crying?   
TT: He said you wanted to kill Rose, and you wouldn't fucking answer your cell to give me an answer on whether he was right or not. And Mom said Dave was right, that you threatened her and Rose both, and that she'd come pick me up if I wanted but you'd said you wouldn't let her have Dave. 

TT: i /never/ threatened your mother!

TT: But you threatened Rose. Said you'd kill her for being a vampire. 

TT: i never hurt her! i /would/ never hurt her

TT: You hate vampires. Fuck, you weren't all that happy when I started playing with magic; remember when I made Hal?

AI: In his defense, no one was happy when you created me, so...

TT: My point is, Dave's just found out he's something that he's pretty fucking sure you hate with your entire goddamn being. He's _scared,_ and I don't blame him, and I'm going to work on talking him out of being so scared, but you need to back the fuck off.  
TT: Karkat's parents don't mind having him stay over for a while; it's not like Dave's stuck without anywhere to stay. Fuck, the worst case scenario here would be that he comes to stay with me instead, and I'm happy to have that happen.  
TT: He's safe. He's fine. Leave him alone, for a while. 

TT: i.  
TT: fuck.

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

AI: What would you put the probability of him doing what you told him to at?

TT: I don't know.

CAL: :) 

* * *

tartareanTycoon [TT] started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]!

TT: hey.   
TT: i got some info from...okay, i'm just gonna say i picked up some info.

turntechGodhead is offline!

TT: anyway.   
TT: you're my kid. nothing changes that.

turntechGodhead is offline!

TT: ah, fuck.  
TT: text me when you can, lil man.

turntechGodhead is offline!

TT: love you.

tartareanTycoon disconnected!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Reaux" is pronounced Ro; it's Mom Lalonde's name in this AU! Dirk's nineteen, already moved out of the apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey." Karkat's hand moves down from your head to your shoulder, shaking you gently. "Wake up. C'mon, the call with Rose is going through." 

" 'm not asleep, " you protest, pushing yourself up to lean against the bed next to him. You know from his amused snort that he doesn't entirely believe that, and you can't really blame him; you _were_ pretty damn close to asleep, even if your eyes stayed mostly open. Hey, just zoning out is easier than actually dealing with your thoughts and anxiety, and this is a nice safe place to do it. "Fuck, _please_ tell me you already told Rose about the fang thing. You know I'll talk a circle around it for half an hour if you make me try..." 

"Yeah, I'm not about to forget how you came out to her." Karkat grins, slinging one arm around your shoulders and shifting the laptop to rest half on your lap and half on his, leaning over to press a kiss against your cheek. "Can you calm down?" 

"No." 

"Well, fuck." He rolls his eyes, reaches over with his free hand and pulls your face towards his so he can kiss you properly. And yeah, that does calm you down; Karkat might as well be a drug tailor-made to suit everything that goes wrong with you. That's how well the two of you fit together, how much you trust him. 

You're still breathing him in when the laptop _ding_ s to let you know that you're live and on-camera to your sister, and aforementioned sister clears her throat just in case you hadn't gotten the message. Even though you know she's just teasing, you still jerk away from Karkat, the automatic surge of guilt triggering your fangs to extend. Again. 

Onscreen, Rose blinks in what looks like surprise, then smiles, pushing her hair back. "Well, I'm glad this wasn't a false alarm on the vampiric front, then. Congratulations, Dave." 

"This is in no way a time to fuckin' congratulate me, Rose," you point out, running your fingers across the tip of one canine until Karkat grabs your hand and laces his fingers through yours to get you to stop. "Like. Bro doesn't even know yet, I dunno what he's gonna do when he finds out, I don't know how to handle this..." 

She frowns, shifting to draw both legs up to her chest. From what you can see, she's curled up on her own bed, probably with a webcam hooked up to her laptop instead of using the computer's built-in camera. The angle looks less weird than it should, anyway. "I haven't really spent enough time around him to say I know him anywhere near as well as you do...do you think I should tell Mother I need a plane ticket to Houston? If this development puts you in a dangerous position, we can get you out of it." 

Karkat makes an almost inaudible sound. If you weren't pressed right up next to him, you might've missed it. As it is, you recognize it for an expression of the same terror of being separated by the distance between Texas and New York that you yourself are feeling. 

It makes you want to tell her that it'll be fine, you can hide this from Bro, she doesn't need to come and collect you. Makes you want to say, hell, your mom doesn't even need to know. Makes you want to tell her everything's good. 

But you don't lie to your twin. Not on the big shit. 

"I kind of...really don't want Mom to know yet," you say carefully. "I—fuck, you know I don't want to leave, and if she gets wind of it first she'll be here, tryin' to drag me up to goddamn New York whether I like it or no." 

Rose nods. "I know, Dave, but if—" 

"Don't 'if' me right now, okay?" You have to swallow around an almost-painful lump in your throat; Karkat obviously picks up on your distress, leaning his head on your shoulder and squeezing your hand gently. "I'll have a goddamn panic attack if we get started in on the _if_ s, and that won't get any-fuckin'-thing done." 

" _If_ you need me, I'll be there in hours," Rose finishes stubbornly. Then she shakes her head, smiling at you. "I think you might not need me, though. At least, not as urgently as you might." 

"Hopefully not." You take in as deep a breath as you can, holding it until Karkat lets go of your hand so he can smack your shoulder. When you do let it out, you make an effort to let go of your anxiety as well, and are rewarded by the tiny feeling of your fangs sliding back in again. "Tell me about it, Rose." 

"About what?" 

Dammit, is she actually confused about what you want to know, or is this just a ploy to get you to admit what you are now? With Rose, you can never be sure. "The vampire shit. You already know about it; talk to me." _Reassure me that my fucking world isn't ending,_ you don't say. 

Maybe she gets that meaning from what you say, though, because she nods, rearranging herself (and knocking the webcam over in the process; the mic picks up a couple of muttered profanities as she gets it pointed at her again, instead of the black ceiling.) "What do you want to know? You're going to get a boost to at least three of your senses; taste, smell, and touch. Some vampires get sight and hearing as well, but that's rarer. You'll need to drink blood at _least_ once every few days; it doesn't have to be directly from a human—" 

Fuck. Somehow you've managed to not think about actually drinking blood—you've tasted your own blood, after all, when you lost baby teeth or bit your lip or some shit, and every time you hated the taste. Maybe because it came with being hurt, at least a little? God, you hope that's why the thought of tasting blood makes you wince. "And what if I push it a lil' farther apart than that?" 

Rose makes a face, her own fangs showing for a moment. "It's _awful_. It's more like sleep deprivation than being hungry, though—you can't think straight and you're either tired or hyperactive all the time. And it makes you irritable and aggressive—the last time I tested spacing out feedings, I almost bit Mother." 

Karkat snorts. "I can just fucking imagine you biting Bro," he mumbles against your shoulder. You're not sure whether to laugh or cringe. 

"Yeah, that's a pretty good argument against skipping that," you have to agree. Well, assuming you end up being able to go home, back to the apartment. You're still not certain you can do that. "So I gotta have blood at least every other day. No fucking way am I trying to get it directly from anyone—with my luck I'd probably kill 'em or something—" 

Rose sighs in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "You do know it's almost impossible to do that accidentally, don't you? The venom in your fangs will speed the healing process so that the donor doesn't bleed out, and it's physically impossible to drink enough at one sitting to kill an adult human. If it was a child, maybe—" 

" _Fuck_ no." Your fangs extend at the thought of that; it's not hunger that does it, but outrage at the idea of drinking from a kid. 

"Of course not. There's a reason that's illegal." She shrugs, glancing over her shoulder in response to something the webcam's mic doesn't pick up. "Damn. Mother's calling me." 

"Don't tell her about this. Please." 

"I can keep a secret, _David_." Before you can protest her use of that name, Rose smiles sweetly and blows the camera a kiss. "I'll message you later, alright? Love you." 

"Love you too. And thanks." 

Your twin nods, and leans forward. Then the _Call Ended_ screen comes up as she disconnects. 

You wait for Karkat to shut the laptop and set it up out of harm's way up on the bed. Then you let out the breath you've been holding, more-or-less crawling into his lap to straddle his legs and bury your face in his chest, looping your arms around his neck. 

Karkat waits for you to get settled, wrapping one arm around your shoulders. "You okay?" he murmurs in your ear. 

"Mmmnn." It's not an answer, and you know that you have about thirty seconds before he points that out to you and repeats the question. You spend pretty much all that time not moving, pressed up against him; just as he shifts slightly to ask again, you pull back a little, meeting his eyes and nodding. "I'm okay. I'm fine." 

"You're sure?" His hands tangling in your hair to smooth it back from your face is maybe the best feeling ever. Instead of nodding, you lean into that touch, taking a minute to sort out your current emotions.

"I'm not fucking going to New York," you tell him, finally. "Like, I'd say something dramatic here, like I'm not going without you, but you know my mom, she'd try and convince your parents that you should _totally_ come up and spend a couple semesters at this fancy prestigious school that _just happens_ to have, like, this opening? And wow, look, they got a scholarship especially for foulmouthed assholes who're dating lameass vampires—" 

"Don't call my boyfriend lameass, fucker," Karkat snaps playfully, flicking your nose and giggling when the surprise of it draws out a quick flash of fang from you. 

"Okay, okay, but you get my point. I stay here, in Houston. Maybe with you, if your parents are okay with it—" 

"You know they are." 

"—or with Dirk and Hal, they'd help me if I needed it—" 

"Or back with Bro," Karkat points out, kissing the side of your mouth to stifle the inadvertent whine that you can't help but let out. "Hey, he might want you to come home." 

"And he might throw a fucking hissy fit." You hate the scenarios that your brain throws out for you to see—him, using some of his collection of swords on you, pinning you down and ripping your fangs out, wrapping you in silver chains to see if that'll burn your vampiric nature away. _Hissy fit_ isn't even close to describing what you're afraid might happen. 

"Dave, hey." Karkat waits for you to focus on him again, instead of just looking right fuckin' through him to your own fearborn fantasies. Then he leans forward just the slightest bit, pulling you in so his forehead rests against yours. "You're okay. It's going to be okay. Nothing bad's going to happen—" 

"It might." 

"It won't."

"It could." 

"It _can't_. I won't let it." He sighs, breath warm on your face. "Do you believe me?" 

"Mhm. Yeah." And you do. That's not a polite lie. You both can be scared and know that Karkat's gonna do his damnedest to protect you; those aren't mutually exclusive states of being. 

In your pocket, your phone chimes with a received text. Since you turned messaging off, there's only two people (well, two _beings_ ) who could've sent it to you. 

Karkat knows that, too, and he grimaces as you shift to get off his lap and extricate your phone. "Dave, leave it alone." 

"Nope." 

"Come on, if it's Hal he'll get that you're AWOL right now, and if it's Cal—"

"If it's Cal, I wanna know if he's about to use some fucky demonic shit and pop up right in front of me." You deliberately maintain eye contact with Karkat as you open the messaging app, let him see that you're currently _not_ freaking out. "It'll be fine." 

You kind of regret saying that when you look down and see that yeah, the most recent message is bright orange. Plus you have seventeen messages from Bro. 

Fuck. 

Might as well check Cal's first. 

CAL started pestering turntechGodhead [TG]!

CAL: HEY, DAVEY! :)    
CAL: THIS DOESN'T NEED AN ANSWER RIGHT NOW, JUST SO YOU KNOW! JUST SOME REASSURANCE, IN CASE YOU'RE WORRYING ABOUT THINGS LIKE SAFETY AND BIG BRO.   
CAL: WHICH WE BOTH KNOW YOU ARE :(

"Fuck, I _hate_ it when he watches me," you mumble. 

CAL: THAT'S NOT VERY NICE! D:   
CAL: BUT YEAH, I KNOW YOU HATE IT. THAT'D BE WHY I'M QUIET ABOUT IT. MOSTLY.   
CAL: BUT YOU KNOW _WHY_ I WATCH, DON'T YOU DAVEY?

TG: because bro told you to when i was like four and you never stopped

CAL: OH CLOSE! :D    
CAL: ACTUALLY, TECHNICALLY THAT'S RIGHT! YOU WIN A PRIZE! I OWE YOU A PRIZE! 

TG: no thanks cal

CAL: THAT'S SAD. :(   
CAL: FINE, NO PRIZE. BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT I'M BOUND TO AMBROSE STRIDER'S BLOODLINE, AND THAT INCLUDES YOU.   
CAL: YOU KNOW HOW THE CONTRACT WORKS! I WATCH AND PROTECT ALL OF YOU AS MUCH AS I CAN!   
CAL: EVEN THOUGH HE'S NARROWED MY SPHERE OF INFLUENCE A LITTLE OVER THE YEARS _HE'S_ STILL AT THE CENTER OF IT, SO HE CAN'T HURT YOU EVEN IF HE WANTED TO.   
CAL: WHICH HE DOESN'T!

TG: youre not a receiving telepath cal

CAL: :O RUDE?   
CAL: IT DOESN'T TAKE TELEPATHY TO READ HIS MESSAGES. ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE "DEMONIC ACCESS TO COMPUTERS" THING DOES HELP! :D    
CAL: ANYWAY, THE POINT WASN'T WHAT HE MIGHT WANT TO DO, IT'S WHAT HE CAN DO! AND HURTING YOU ISN'T ON THAT LIST!

TG: ...   
TG: ...okay   
TG: thanks

CAL: :) ALL I DID WAS REMIND YOU OF MY JOB, DAVEY!    
CAL: YOU SHOULDN'T SHUT HIM OUT TOO MUCH, THOUGH. HE'S NOT FUN WHEN HE'S WORRIED. :(

TG: ill keep that in mind

CAL: :)

CAL disconnected!

You sigh, rubbing your forehead. Okay. Okay, so you do have a really fucking powerful demon standing between you and any harm that might come to you if you go back to the apartment. Even if that demon is contained in your least favorite puppet in the world. 

Because you don't really want to think about Cal, you open the message log from Bro instead, scrolling back up to the top to read it all. 

...oh, fuck. He knows about the vampire thing. Seeing that he knows drags a rough gasp out of you, and Karkat immediately scrambles to kneel next to you, trying to pull your phone out of your hand. You won't let it go, though, and he has to settle with looking over your shoulder, reading the last of the log. Reading the bit that you're stuck on, actually, because Karkat reads it out loud. 

"'You're my kid; nothing changes that.' 'Love you.'" He catches the phone when you let it slip out of your hands, quickly setting it down so he can wrap his arms around you as you slump against him. "Fuck—Dave?" 

"Shut up for a sec." The last word of that comes out muffled because you've buried your face in his shirt again. Fuck, why the hell are you crying? This is good, this means everything's okay, this means you don't _have_ to cry. "Just. Shut the fuck up. Shut up. Shut _up..._ " 

Karkat laughs softly, petting through your hair. "Are you saying that to me or to you?" 

"Yes."

"I'm guessing you don't want to text him back right now." 

"No. Fuck no." You don't really think you can. "Want you. Like this. Just like this, for a minute..." 

"You got me. Just like this, for as long as you need." And he kisses the top of your head, settling to wait for you to want something else.


End file.
